Giles Duley MBE on the Legacy of War

2024-10-19

Photographer & storyteller Giles Duley MBE joins me from Ukraine where his NGO – the Legacy of War Foundation – is providing ambulances to the frontline to evacuate civilians, many of them elderly. Giles lost both legs and an arm when he stepped on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2011 whilst embedded with 101st Airborne. Locked in his own mind for 46 days, only able to blink, he was lucky to survive. He explains how, even before his injury, his work was focussed on drawing attention to the legacy of conflict and the common the...

Giles lost both legs and an arm when he stepped on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2011 whilst embedded with 101st Airborne. Locked in his own mind for 46 days, only able to blink, he was lucky to survive.

He explains how, even before his injury, his work was focussed on drawing attention to the legacy of conflict and the common themes experienced by those whose lives it tears apart. He was inspired by the haunting work of legendary photographer Sir Don McCullin.

After a heady few years in rock ‘n’ roll, photographing bands like Oasis & Massive Attack, Giles travelled extensively capturing real-life stories against a backdrop of war, bonding over simple, shared meals, and now, discovering ways his NGO can make a difference.